Heather Park Dog Park:
Heather Park Dog Park in Vancouver, BC, is a smallish neighbourhood park in South Cambie that’s home to one of Vancouver’s newest dog parks, having opened in the spring of 2025. It’s one of two new off-leash areas (OLAs) identified in the City’s 2017 People, Parks, and Dogs Strategy, which aimed to make sure most Vancouver residents have access to an off-leash space within a 15-minute walk of home.
The park itself sits at 702 West 18th Avenue, right at the border of South Cambie, Fairview, and Mount Pleasant — a stretch of the city that had long been underserved when it came to dedicated off-leash space. The new dog park was designed specifically to close that gap, drawing on feedback from thousands of local residents during the city’s public engagement process before construction began.
Inside the Off-Leash Area:
The dog park features a fully-fenced off-leash enclosure with double-gated entries, benches for owners, agility equipment, a water fountain for dogs, and a bark mulch (engineered wood fibre) surface underfoot. I will say that bark mulch is not a huge hit with either Avy or Ember, but some dogs don’t seem to mind it. The agility elements include a ramp, stepping stones, and small hurdles, giving more active dogs something to do beyond simple fetch. It’s plenty big enough to throw a Chuckit! for your dog and let them chase each other around at top speed, with roughly 13,000 square feet of fenced space to work with.
As with most Vancouver off-leash areas, dogs are expected to remain within sight of their owners, be non-aggressive with other park users, and refrain from digging. Dogs must be leashed in the surrounding park before entering and after leaving the fenced enclosure.
Beyond the Fence:
Heather Park itself is a well-used neighbourhood green space beyond just the dog area. It includes a small children’s playground, four tennis courts, and an open grassy field bordered by mature street trees that provide welcome shade in the summer months. It’s the kind of park where a dog owner can let their pup off-leash and still have plenty to do — or watch — if they’re bringing the rest of the family along.
A Bit of History:
Heather Park actually has a longer relationship with off-leash dogs than its 2025 fenced area suggests. Back in the late 1990s, it was designated as an un-fenced off-leash site under the city’s original dog off-leash program. That arrangement led to some community friction over the years, given the park’s relatively small size and heavy use by both dog owners and families with the playground and tennis courts. It is hard to have a picnic when off-leash dogs may be running by. Some of that off-leash activity was eventually redirected to nearby Queen Elizabeth Park to ease the pressure, however given the number of dogs in the city adding a fenced enclosure to the park was a much needed addition. The 2025 Heather Park Dog Park with the fenced enclosure effectively resolves that decades-old tension, giving dogs a properly contained space of their own while preserving the rest of the park for shared use.
Getting There:
Heather Park Dog Park is easily reached from both Fairview and Mount Pleasant, and its location near Vancouver General Hospital makes it a convenient stop if you’re already in the area. Before heading over, it’s worth brushing up on the basics of shared off-leash space in our dog park etiquette guide, so your visit goes smoothly for every dog in the park.
If you want to find other off-leash parks in the area check out our directory featuring an extensive collection of off-leash dog parks, hikes and swim areas.
